Every Kloud has a Silver Lining
by Akiko Natsuko
Summary: Set Post-Series. The immortal king is not as gone as everyone thinks, but coming back is not as easy as you might think especially for a solitary king and his new clan. Disclaimer: I don't own K or its characters. The main pairing is Shiro/Kuroh but nothing explicit.
1. K1

I don't own K-Project (K) or its characters, I'm just playing with them.

K-K-K-K-K-K

'_Kuroh…Neko…Where are you?'_

Kuroh jolted away, silver eyes wild as he searched around the room, Shiro's voice ringing in his ears. As his eyes fell on the sleeping form of Neko on the end of the futon, and the red parasol propped nearby he felt the familiar overwhelming sadness that came with thoughts of his King. Sitting up he carefully slid out of bed, and swiftly dressed, moving around with practiced silence so as not to disturb the sleeping Strain. Briefly he lingered by the battered parasol, silver eyes downcast before he headed for the door to start on breakfast.

Mechanically he moved around the kitchen, thoughts lingering on Shiro. It had been a month since the battle between the Red and Blue Kings; a month since the idiotic, naïve boy…man had sacrificed himself to remove the threat posed by the Colourless King. At first Kuroh had believed in Neko's desperate faith in Shiro being a King, but after weeks of waiting, and the evidence of the immense destruction at the battle site that belief had faded and the Black dog found himself adrift. It was only for Neko's sake that he hid his lack of belief, and the nightmares that plagued him at night when he couldn't banish his guilt over following his King's final order. But the Strain had become his lifeline of sorts in this Shiro-less world, the kids at the school still had only hazy memories of their saviour if any, and it hurt to know that there were only the two of them that knew Shiro.

"Shiro," he whispered as he gazed out of the window at the open blue sky, recalling the exhilaration of flying through the air with the silverette. Briefly he wondered what it would have been like if the three of them had been able to resurrect the Himmelich, and live high above this world, away from the conflicts of the other clans…they would probably have driven each other up the wall, he mused with a wistful smile.

_Kuroh…Where are you? Why aren't you here?_

Kuroh froze as the faint whisper rang through the air, spinning to search the room with desperate eyes, ignoring the clatter as the cup he had been holding fell from suddenly nerveless hands.

"Shiro? Shiro are you there?" He asked feeling somewhat foolish addressing what was clearly an empty room, but feeling a desperate flame of hope flickering into existence in his heart.

_I need…Kuroh?...Neko?...Where…._

"SHIRO!" The high-pitched cry startled him and he whirled as Neko dashed into the room, automatically closing his eyes as he realised she had forgotten to get dressed; however, as her cry registered he forgot his reservations and he opened them again.

"You heard him too?" Kuroh demanded intensely staring at his companion.

"He's not here?" The strain asked with tears in her mismatched eyes, and Kuroh shook his head. "But I heard him, he sounded so close," she mewed desperately, reassuring Kuroh that he wasn't going insane…or at least if he was hearing things, then she was too and he would have company in his insanity.

_Help Me_

Both Strain and Samurai froze as Shiro's voice echoed through the small apartment once more, eyes widening at the desperation in their King's voice as they gazed at one another with a mixture of disbelief, hope and fear.

"Shiro where are you?" Kuroh demanded urgently, pushing aside his concern and quietly indicating for the Strain to remain quiet and ignoring the subsequent hiss she shot at him.

…_Sanctum…I'm trying….break…help…Kuroh?...Neko?_

The disjointed words were fainter this time the samurai noted anxiously, and he frowned as he tried to make sense of them. Sanctum? Was Shiro referring to the place where he had confronted the Colourless King? But if so, why couldn't he escape on his own, he had done it easily once he had bested the other King.

"Clansmen," Neko said softly and he turned to look at her questioningly. "He shared his power with us, maybe we need to be closer to him for him to draw on us?" The Black dog blinked as her words sank in, silver eyes widening as he realised that for once she was actually making a lot of sense…if that was the case they just had to work out where was closest to Shiro…

"Neko we're going to the school, get dressed," Kuroh ordered and despite the irritated look on her face the Strain obeyed at once. "We're coming Shiro," he whispered to the air once he was alone, 'wait for us,' he added as he moved across to collect his sword, strapping it on for the first time since his King had fallen.

K-K-K-K

The two silver clansmen made swift progress through the city in their animal forms, hoping to avoid any potential conflict with Scepter 4 or Homra – the latter having come after them several times in the last few weeks, seeking vengeance for their fallen King. Neko's abilities made it easy for the pair to slip through the security posts on the bridge leading to the island, and the pair skirted skilfully around the various construction teams working on repairing the damage done during the battle.

"Shiro?!" Kuroh called shifting back to his human form as they reached the crater that marked the spot where their King had fallen, barely noting as Neko copied him, eyes frantically darting around the ruins.

"SHIROOOOOO!" The Strain wailed when there was no immediate sign of the Silver King, and Kuroh could only hope that no-one else on the island ventured near this part.

_Where…You're closer…_

"We're here Shiro, tell us how to help," Kuroh pleaded feeling increasingly helpless as he tried to reach out through his clan connections…but all his senses could detect was the frantic Strain beside him. There was no further response from the voice.

KKK

It had been several hours since they'd arrived at the crater, and no matter what they tried they couldn't figure out how to reach Shiro. Nor had they heard anything else from him. Neko had taken to pacing around the Crater edge, alternating between forms as she tried to use her powers to make it closer to where Shiro was. Kuroh on the hand had taken up residence in the middle of the crater, silver eyes fixated on the sky as he constantly sought out the clan connection, hoping for some sign of his King.

K

Just as the sky began to slowly change into shades of dusk Kuroh detected a slight pulse in his clan connection and at once he shot to his feet, one hand instinctively seeking Kotwana. Frowning he focused on the pulse, eyes narrowing as he realised that it wasn't coming from the island but rather the city.

"Neko can you stay here, there's something I want to check out," He called as he realised the Strain hadn't noticed the pulse in her current state of agitation.

"But Shiro?" She mewed anxiously as she ran up to him.

"If you hear from him or he appears you can let me know through the clan link; and I'll do the same if I find anything," he promised and after a long hesitation she nodded with a faint mew before running off to resume her pacing. Satisfied that she would stay put, Kuroh shifted forms and bolted towards the city, praying that his sudden intuition was correct…

K-K-K

Kuroh burst onto the roof where he had first met Shiro, eyes darting around hopefully only to meet with an obviously empty rooftop. Dismay threatened to overwhelm his for a brief second when he felt another pulse in his clan connection, a pulse so close it made his skin tingle.

"Shiro I'm here," He called stepping out onto the rooftop and turning his gaze skyward.

_I feel you…Help…focus…clan_…

Closing his eyes Kuroh focused all his thoughts and power on the pulse, dragging up every memory of his time with Shiro, memories that he had buried in his grief, but now he immersed himself in them and in his emotions. He could feel the spark that was Neko responding as she detected what he was doing, and even as he sensed her starting to move in his direction, he could feel her efforts joining his and the swell of emotion almost forced him to his knees as tears began to trickle down his face.

"SHIIIIRRRROOOOO!" He yelled as the emotions and memories became too much, and suddenly there was a flash of silver light so intense that it caused Kuroh to see stars even with his eyes closed. Wincing he clamped an arm over his eyes in an attempt to stave it off. Finally the light died, and cautiously he inched his eyes open, blinking rapidly to clear his vision as lights sparkled across his vision; eventually his vision cleared and he looked around with desperate hope.

The sight that met his eyes increased the flow of tears that he had ceased to be aware off, silver orbs widening as they fell on an all-too familiar figure laying crumpled on the far side of the rooftop. Slowly in an almost dream-like state the Black dog moved across the rooftop, eyes intent on the unmoving figure even as he sent out a silent summons to Neko.

"Shiro?" He whispered cautiously as he finally reached the other, dropping to his knees as he reached out with trembling hands to turn the other over. A wordless gasp escaped him as he took in the damage to the other's school uniform, and the new, red scar that covered the silverette's chest above his heart. One hand instinctively reached towards this evidence of what his King had suffered, whilst his other fumbled desperately for a pulse…a pulse that thudded reassuringly beneath his fingertips.

"Kuroh?" The whisper was so faint that for a moment he thought he'd imagined it, but as his hopeful eyes watched Shiro's eyes slowly inched open to half-mast. Dazed amber eyes met anxious silver ones and Kuroh felt an overwhelming wave of joy rush through him, and an unrestrained smile spread across his face as his hand that had sought the pulse now grasped one of his King's hands. The warmth of the hand in his, confirming that this was real and not some fabrication of his imagination and he had to supress a sob at this confirmation.

"Welcome back," he murmured surprised at how steady his voice was and Shiro gave a weak smile in response, fingers curling around the hand holding his in acknowledgement as he blinked wearily up at his clansman.

"Thank you," there was a world of meaning in the whispered words and Kuroh tightened his hold, even as his eyes drank in the sight of his very much alive King. Gradually his overwhelming joy settled to a background hum as he took note of the tiredness in the amber eyes, the paler than usual skin and lingering pain lines marring the teen's face and he frowned with concern.

"You're hurt?" He asked, eyes returning to the scar on the other's chest – it was healed although it still looked fresh and sore – and he felt a fissure of fear run through him at the sight of what had nearly stolen Shiro from them.

"I'm fine," Shiro muttered unconvincingly causing Kuroh to scowl at him. "I'm just tired," the Silver King added seeing the expression his clansman was giving him for his obviously untruthful answer. In response the samurai pulled the smaller teen gently into his lap, so that the silverette's head was supported.

"Rest then, I'll take care of you," he ordered soothingly as the hand that wasn't captured by Shiro began to card through silver locks. With a sigh Shiro relaxed against him, amber eyes sliding shut immediately as the teen gave in to his exhaustion. Kuroh hummed with contentment as he held his King, noting absently that Neko was rapidly moving towards them…as soon as she arrived, they could take Shiro home.

K-K-K-K

"Captain!" Seri burst into the office startling the Blue King out of his silent contemplation of the reports regarding the …. Island incident, and he turned to look at her with raised eyebrows. "The Silver King's Damoscles Sword was seen above the city a few minutes ago, and his Weissman level has reappeared on the scanners."

"So he did survive," Munakata murmured not sure if he felt relief or anger – on the oneside the Silver King had been innocent and had done what he could to capture the Colourless King, but on the other hand by interfering he had caused Suoh to use up the rest of his power resulting in his death.

"Captain?"

"Monitor any changes but there is no need for any further action at this point," He ordered and she nodded, beating a quick retreat as she sensed his need to be alone for now. Once she was gone, the King got to his feet and moved across to the window, he knew that he could expect contact from the Silver clan at some point in the near future and possibly from the Gold King as well. He could only hope that the remnants of Homra didn't attempt to start a conflict with the Silvers out of vengeance – after all in their minds, the Silver King's vessel was the one responsible for killing their clansman. He didn't hold out much hope in this regard though, he knew already that there had been several incidents between the Reds and the two Silver clansmen and he doubted the reappearance of the Silver King would help.

"Damn it Suoh, your clan needs you," he muttered to the sky, the memory of the blazing red lights soaring skywards reflecting in his solemn eyes.


	2. K2

I don't own K or its characters, I'm just playing with them.

K-K-K-K

A faint murmur from the bed made Kuroh lean forward anxiously, silver eyes intent as the teen on the bed began to stir slowly, face crinkled as he began to surface from his exhausted sleep. Hopefully the Black Dog reached out and grasped one of the teen's hands, absently noting how easily their hands fit together.

"Shiro? Shiro can you hear me?" He called softly and was rewarded with increased murmurs and a furrowing of his King's brow. Finally amber eyes inched open, and he was relieved to see that there was more awareness in Shiro's eyes than there had been on the rooftop despite the fact he was clearly half-asleep. After a couple of minutes of blinking and staring at the ceiling, Shiro's gaze shifted towards his companion and Kuroh was stunned by the relief and lingering loneliness he could see in the other's eyes.

"Kuroh?" Shiro whispered and Kuroh smiled. "You're here? I'm really back?"

"You're home Shiro," Kuroh quickly reassured the teen as he heard the faint fear in those questions, relieved when the expressive eyes lost some of the lingering loneliness swirling in their depths.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Three days," Kuroh said and Shiro blinked in surprise. "Neko has been most put out," he added with a small smile as his gaze shifted to the cat curled up on the bed beside Shiro; the silverette followed his gaze and a faint smile appeared as he reached out to pet the loyal Strain.

"And how long was I…gone?" Kuroh noted the hesitation and frowned, it was only just occurring to him that Shiro had been on his own in his 'sanctum'…all on his own, with no way of knowing if everyone was safe.

"Just over a month," he answered softly, noting with a pang the shadow that passed over Shiro's face at his answer, and the faint pain in the amber eyes as the smaller teen turned away slightly to stare at the ceiling.

"So long," Shiro whispered almost to himself before his gaze returned to Kuroh. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long."

"I'm just glad you're back," Kuroh said honestly and Shiro smiled softly at the admission, gently squeezing that hand holding his. Carefully he began to sit up, knowing that if didn't he would doze off before they could really talk. A slight pang of pain went through his chest at the movement but he quickly waved off the concern in his clansman's face as he pushed himself upright.

"SHIRO!" Neko had finally woken up with all the movement and just as Shiro sat up he found himself flattened once more by the excited strain, a slight blush spreading across his face as she clutched him tightly and he realised she had once again ignored the need for clothes. The feel of tears against his skin banished his embarrassment and he hastily wrapped his own arms around the girl, stroking her back gently as he felt their clan bond hum with contentment.

"Shhh Neko I'm back," he said softly, amber eyes rising to meet Kuroh who was watching the scene with a mixture of amusement and happiness, and the Silver King smiled as he felt their bond hum as well.

"Why were you gone so long?" Neko demanded abruptly several minutes later as she pulled herself out of the hug, sitting back so she could glare at her Shiro. The Silver King sighed, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss at the loss of contact, before pulling himself up once more noting that Kuroh had moved slightly closer with curiosity in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Neko, Kuroh. I didn't mean to make you wait so long," he said softly staring down at his hands. "The only way for a King to die outside of old age – except for me apparently – is to be killed by another King. I had managed to restrain the Colourless King but I couldn't kill him…" He trailed off as he flashed back to his confrontation with the Seventh King, and the same overwhelming pity and sadness flooded him. The feeling of a hand on his jolted him back into the present and he looked up to find both of his clansmen staring at him in concern, glancing down at Kuroh's hand he shook himself back into focus. "Sorry. As I was saying, I couldn't kill him and I could only contain him for a short period of time – he was still a King even if he had lost all sense of himself."

"You knew this before we started?" Kuroh demanded and Shiro winced and nodded, looking up and seeing the storm building in the other's eyes. "We will talk about this later," the other added harshly and the Silver King just nodded, trying not to let his apprehension or hurt show as Kuroh shifted away from him clearly setting a distance between them.

"I took the Colourless King, to the Red King so that he could kill him – and avenge his clansman," Shiro continued not looking at either of his clansmen now as he spoke. "But the only way for Him to do so was to strike me down at the same time," he paused for a moment, a hand rising unconsciously to his chest as the pain and fear he had felt in that moment flooded through him. "At the last minute I was able to wrap my power around myself, separating myself from the Colourless King. So that whilst he was killed by the attack, I was able to survive; however, it also shifted me into the sanctum… the space where my sword is and due to my injury and the amount of power it had taken just to survive the attack I was trapped there whilst my body recovered."

"Why couldn't you escape on your own once you were healed?" Kuroh asked his voice still tight with anger and his gaze fixated on the far side of the room.

"I'm not sure," Shiro admitted with a small shrug. "It may have been because I had been there so long, I have never spent more than a day or two in it before. Or it could be because I had clansmen for the first time." His words were punctured by a yawn and Kuroh finally turned his gaze back to the other teen, noting that Shiro still looked paler than usual, exhaustion lining his face and his expression softened slightly.

"You should get some more sleep," Shiro blinked at the soft instruction, relieved to see that some of the anger had disappeared. Although he knew that later he would still have to face his clansman's anger. Blinking wearily he nodded in agreement, irritated that he still hadn't fully recovered despite his time in the sanctum. Settling himself back down into bed, he smiled slightly as Neko immediately transformed and snuggled down beside him clearly reluctant to let him out of her sight.

Sleepily he peered across at Kuroh who sighed moving to the bed and laying a hand briefly on the silverette's head.

"Sleep, we can talk later." The Black dog said softly before heading for the door, however, just before leaving he paused briefly and turned back to meet amber eyes that were still watching him. "Thank you for coming back," he whispered and Shiro nodded slightly before his eyes slid shut of their own violation, Kuroh shook his head slightly before retreating to try and gather his thoughts and tattered emotions.

K-K-K-K

The next day:

Shiro had slept the rest of the night away and when he awoke late the next morning he felt better than the previous day, although his slightly wobbly movements and the weariness in his face told his hovering clansmen that he still had a way to go before he was fully recovered. Determined to start getting back into normality the teen had refused to remain in bed, instead carefully moving through to the living room with careful assistance from Kuroh even though the older teen was still acting stiff around him.

After a quiet meal prepared by Kuroh, Shiro moved across to sit by the window staring out at the sky with a pained expression as he waited for the questions that he knew were coming. He didn't look as Kuroh came to settle in the chair near him, not sure what to say and deciding to wait for Kuroh to speak.

Neko hissed slightly as she noticed the tension between the two, and she fought the urge to take Shiro and hide from Kuroh. She could see the coiled anger in the dark-haired teen, but she also knew that he had missed their Shiro just as much as she had. With a sad mew she headed for the door, she realised that this was something that had to happen but she didn't want to see or hear it. Neither teen noticed as she slipped out of the door, too focused on the silent tension that was lingering between them.

"Did you know you would survive?" Kuroh asked quietly his eyes fixated on Shiro, the silver-haired teen sighed and glanced up at his clansman before returning his gaze to the window.

"No," he admitted finally. "In truth I thought that I would disappear along with the Colourless King," he said his voice bitterly wistful as he turned sad amber eyes towards the other.

"Why? Why would you take such a risk?" Kuroh's voice was rising as his usual restraint escaped him, he had noted the wistfulness in his King's voice and it sent a pang of pain through him. "You had just regained your memories! You had just gained a clan!"

"Because it was my responsibility," Shiro replied firmly. "It was my research that led to the creation of the Seven Kings, therefore the fall of the Seventh and the conflict between the Blue and Red Kings was my responsibility."

"What about your responsibility to us?" Kuroh ground out, silver eyes narrow as he stared the other teen in the eye demanding an answer. Amber eyes darted away as Shiro paled and after a long moment the teen looked down, his hands winding together nervously.

"I thought that you would both be free," he whispered finally, flinching at the sharp intake of breath that met his quiet words not daring to actually look up and see the anger he knew would be on Kuroh's face. How could he get Kuroh to understand how much he blamed himself for all the trouble that both he and Neko had been forced to get involved with because of him?

"You idiot," Kuroh finally managed to get out when he realised that Shiro was being serious. "Look at me," he ordered and when Shiro didn't obey he moved across, using a finger to tilt the teen's face up so that they were staring directly into one another's eyes. Seeing the emotions swirling in the amber eyes he felt his temper rising even more, the stupid, self-sacrificing…ignorant idiot! "Don't you understand that you should have told us? That you should have asked what we wanted? Given us a choice? All this talk of freedom is your selfishness! Why didn't you stop to think about how we would feel?" He demanded, aware that his voice was rising with each question but unable to hold himself back at this point.

"Kuroh…I…" Shiro trailed off, unsure of what he could say that would explain what had been going through his mind back at the school. And stunned by the anger in the silver eyes boring into his.

"You should think about that," Kuroh said harshly, before abruptly releasing his hold on Shiro and whirling around. Before Shiro could react the other teen had stormed out of the front door, letting it slam loudly behind him with a dreadful finality.

K-K-K-K

"Kuroh?" Shiro whispered to the now empty apartment amber eyes wide as he stared at the door, the bang echoing in his head as he slowly sank to the floor. The Silver King felt a bitter pang of loneliness as he huddled in on himself – it had been easier before, he had always been on his own but that had been by choice – but now, now he had let people in, had come to care about them and the loss stung deeply. Burying his head the teen fought against the tears that were threatening to escape, Kuroh's angry words replaying on a loop in his mind.

Once he'd managed to regain some sort of composure he stumbled to his feet and headed for the bedroom, driven by a need to escape for a while. Retrieving the battered parasol, and grateful that Neko had rescued it, he headed for the window casting himself out into the sky, needing to escape.

K-K-K-K

A few hours later:

"Shiro?" Kuroh called softly as he cautiously slipped into the apartment, frowning as he noted the lack of light and movement from within. Turning on the lights he glanced around the clearly empty living room and kitchen before heading to the bedroom, hoping that his King was merely resting. However, he was concerned and irritated to find the bedroom deserted as well – turning to leave he noticed the open window and a quick search told him that the parasol was gone too. A pang of guilt hit him as he realised that his King had taken his words harder than he'd meant him to, slamming a hand against the wall he moved across to the window and peered out noting with concern that the weather was taking a turn for the worse.

Quickly scribbling a note for Neko in case the strain reappeared he headed back out of the apartment, realising that he needed to apologize to Shiro quickly. Once outside he hesitated, reaching out through his clan bond he was unsurprised but saddened to find the connection with his King muted to the point where he couldn't get a clear reading on where Shiro had gone. Scowling he fiddled with his sword hilt as he contemplated where his King would go, for a moment he considered the rooftop where Shiro had finally returned to them but dismissed it when he recalled the anguish in Shiro's eyes when he spoke of his time trapped in his sanctum. That left the school… his eyes darkened at that thought, Shiro didn't really have the best memories of the school, and if had chosen to take refuge there it didn't bode well for his mental state. With a sigh Kuroh shifted forms and bolted down the street, ignoring the startled and curious cries as people turned to stare at the dog running down the street with a katana grasped in his teeth.

K-K

Kuroh slipped easily into the school despite the increased security since the events of the previous months, privately rolling his eyes at their inefficiency even if it did work in his favour. Stealthily he made his way towards the battleground, carefully skirting a group of students that he recognised as being in Shiro's class. Reaching the edge of the battle scar he shifted back into his human form and deftly returned his sword to its normal position, feeling a faint tingle in his clan bond as he did so, his eyes snapping upwards and widening as he looked out across the battleground.

"Shiro," he whispered as his eyes fell on the small figure huddled in the middle of the crater barely protected by the distinctive crimson parasol. For a moment he hesitated, ignoring the pouring rain as he stared across at his King, however, when his sharp ears caught a faint whimper he found himself moving automatically. Reaching the other teen he dropped to his knees, his heart clenching as he gazed at the other – Shiro was huddled into the smallest ball he could manage, silver head buried in his knees as he shook with a combination of supressed cries and cold.

Without a word the Black dog wrapped his arms around his King, startled when the other responded with a pained cry and suddenly flailing limbs as he tried to escape the embrace. With dogged determination Kuroh held on, keeping his hold as gentle as possible, mindful that the other was still recovering. Still it was nearly ten minutes later when Shiro abruptly ceased his struggles and slumped against his clansman in exhaustion, his eyes closed so as to hide from the other's gaze.

"I'm so sorry Shiro," Kuroh murmured softly as he gazed down at the pale teen, noting the rivers of tears marring the skin, gently he reached up to wipe them away wishing that the smaller teen would look at him.

"I don't want to be alone," Shiro whispered eventually and Kuroh tensed for a second before tightening his arms around his King, all the while silently cursing himself for walking out on the teen earlier. "I can't go back to being on my own," he added, the weight of his true age showing though for a moment, reminding Kuroh of the look in the amber eyes when Shiro had forbidden him from accompanying him into battle. He had been helpless in that moment, bound by his King's powers, but now he was free to act, free to help his hurting King.

"I won't leave you alone again," he replied fervently and amber eyes flickered open to peer up at him, glassy with tears and holding such fear and hope that the black dog swallowed harshly. He didn't like seeing his King so vulnerable, even back when Shiro had begun to doubt his past and had no idea what was happening he had not looked as fragile as he did now. In that moment all it would take would be a slight breeze and Shiro would break, and the Black dog knew that he was more than partly to blame for this fragility.

"Promise?" The child-like question hovered in the air, and Kuroh stared down at his King. Here was the oldest and in some ways most powerful of the Kings, and yet all signs of that age and wisdom had vanished once more leaving behind a vulnerable teen.

"I promise," the Black dog said firmly, meeting the amber-eyed gaze of Shiro straight on and trying to show as much of his resolve as possible in that single look. For a long moment they gazed at once another before Shiro finally relaxed slightly leaning against his clansman as silver light blazed briefly around them, and Kuroh smiled slightly as he felt the clan ties winding closer around them.

However, a violent tremor striking the teen in his arms ruined the moment, and he realised that the rain was coming down heavier than ever, this realisation came with the awareness that they were both soaked through…especially as the parasol had been cast aside in their earlier struggle. "Come, you will catch your death out here," he said abruptly, ignoring the fact that he was also soaked through as he got to his feet, sweeping his King up with him.

"I can walk," Shiro protested even as he instinctively huddled further into Kuroh's arms, seeking the warmth and reassurance.

"Let me take care of you," Kuroh said firmly leaving no room for argument, although the expression in his eyes was undeniably tender, and the smaller teen swallowed slightly before nodding and resting his head against the other's chest smiling as he felt the heartbeat of his clansman.

K-K-K-K


	3. K3

Thank you for the reviews and favourites.

Sorry for the delayed update – my moving day moved forwards several weeks.

K-K-K-K

As Kuroh carefully opened the apartment door and stepped inside, he looked around for any sign of Neko – but there was no sight or sound of her, so he guessed she had been forced to take refuge somewhere because of the rain. Somewhat relieved that they were alone, he glanced down at the sleeping teen in his arms and shook his head slightly in fond exasperation…only Shiro could have dozed off in this situation. Deciding to let him rest for a few more minutes he carried the sleeping King into the bedroom, carefully settling him on the bed and covering him with a blanket, noting that the shivers were increasing.

Swiftly he moved through to the bathroom and started running a bath, before returning to the bedroom to get changed into dry clothes himself. After all he would be no use to his King if he got ill; feeling warmer he returned to the other room and finished filling the bath, fiddling anxiously until the temperature was perfect.

"Shiro?" He called softly as he returned to the slumbering teen, lips twitching with amusement as the other boy murmured something and snuggled deeper into the blanket. "Come on Shiro wake up for me," he ordered as he peeled off the blanket ignoring the slight whimper his actions triggered, one hand gently shaking the reluctant teen until he was rewarded with a slitted glare from sleepy amber eyes.

"Hmmmm…what?" Shiro asked with a wide yawn as he blinked wearily, rubbing at his eyes as he glanced up at Kuroh. "When did we get back?" He asked as his awareness increased and he realised they were back at Kuroh's apartment.

"A few minutes ago," Kuroh replied amused by the consternation on the other's face. "Come on I've run you a bath, we should get you warmed up," he added as Shiro shivered again, however, the Silverette shook his head sleepily.

"Can't I just go back to sleep?" he pleaded eyes already threatening to drift shut again, and Kuroh sighed clearly todays activities had been too much for the recovering teen. Still as much as he wanted to just let his King rest, he knew that it would just increase the likelihood of Shiro falling ill, especially as he was still recovering.

"You need to warm up and get into dry clothes," Kuroh said sternly, and Shiro sighed as he saw that the older teen was not going to back off on this issue. Slowly he sat up and moved to stand up, noting as he did so that he was very cold and wet, and that he already didn't feel great. Grimacing at that realisation he got to his feet and stumbled towards the bathroom, pulling irritably at the clothes that were clinging to him. "Let me help," Kuroh's voice made him start and he realised that the other teen had followed him into the bathroom. "You're probably going to fall asleep in the bath, I'd rather make sure you didn't drown," Kuroh explained as he saw the question in the amber-eyes, and without any further hesitation he began to undress Shiro, ignoring the blush that was spreading across the other teen's face.

Silver eyes darkened as they fell once more on the horrific scar marring otherwise unblemished skin, and a sharp intake of breath alerted him to the fact that his fingers had clenched tightly in their hold on Shiro's arms.

"Sorry," the Black dog muttered briskly resuming his task and avoiding the concerned amber eyes that were now watching his every movement, seemingly forgetting his embarrassment although the blush never retreated from his cheeks. "There we go," he added once he was finished prodding his King towards the bath, and found himself fighting back his own blush as Shiro climbed fluidly into the bath.

"Thank you," the silverette murmured as he settled into the water with a contented sigh, eyes slipping shut as soon as he was settled. The warmth immediately lulling him back to sleep, Kuroh smiling softly as he reached out to stop the other teen from slipping under the water. However, the smile faded as his gaze drifted back down to the scar, and with a trembling finger he gently traced the outline of the mark that had nearly stolen his king from him.

The wistfulness in Shiro's voice earlier when he'd admitted that he hadn't expected to survive the Red King's attack came back to haunt him, and he felt his earlier anger reappear. With a shaky breath he turned his gaze upwards and his anger dissipated as he stared at the teen's pale face, reassuring him that Shiro really was here. Silently he repeated the promise he had made to Shiro at the school, never would he willingly leave his King alone and he added to himself, never again would he let his King go into battle unaccompanied

K-K

Feeling slightly steadier and reassured that Shiro was firmly asleep, the older teen set about carefully washing the other. Relieved that Shiro wasn't awake to witness the growing blush on his face.

K-K

Testing the water he realised that it was starting to cool off, and reluctantly he reached out to shake his sleeping King. Leaving the teen in cold water would defeat the entire purpose of the bath, although he hated disturbing the other especially as he looked so peaceful. Slowly Shiro stirred, his nose scrunching cutely as he thought to stay asleep; but it was a losing battle and slowly amber eyes slid open and peered up at him.

"I'm awake," Shiro murmured blearily as he reached out to accept the offered towel, blinking sleepily as Kuroh chuckled at him. "What?"

"Nothing, if you're awake enough to dry yourself I'll go warm up some soup," Kuroh said, watching protectively for a moment until his King was out of the bath and at no risk of drowning. Satisfied that Shiro could manage he beat a hasty retreat towards the kitchen, feeling the heat of a blush spread across his cheeks once more and keen to avoid the questions that he knew the other teen would ask.

K-K

Shiro shook his head as he watched Kuroh leave, curious as to what had amused the other teen and what had caused the slight blush, but not sure enough in their relationship to press the other. Wrapping the towel around himself he moved towards the pile of clothing Kuroh had brought him, idly noting that he needed to get some clothes of his own soon as he couldn't keep using Kuroh's. That thought brought back memories of his room dorm being blown to pieces and he stifled a sigh, although it had only been his home through chance, he still had fond memories of it. Forcefully he focused his attention on drying himself, knowing that Kuroh would kill him if he got sick from lounging around wet, however, a second later he froze as he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Amber eyes widening as for the first time he fully laid eyes on the scar the Red King had inflicted on him.

Shakily he raised a hand to trace the vivid red mark, amber eyes clouding over as he recalled the moment that the Red King's hand had driven through his chest. The pain had been unbearable, and for several long seconds he had thought that was going to be lost in the crimson fire that had engulfed the Seventh King. Breathing heavily he came back to himself with a jolt, falling to his knees as he clutched at his chest fighting back audible sobs even as tears escaped. Part of him wanted to call out for his clansman, but he had already fallen apart on Kuroh once today and was reluctant to do so again.

After several moments he forced himself to wipe his face clear of tears before scrambling to his feet, shivering slightly as he hastily dried himself off and pulled on the clothes carefully avoiding the mirror as he did so. Once he was clothed he looked in the mirror and pulled a face at the clear evidence of his tears.

"Shiro foods ready," Kuroh's voice made him jump and he quickly splashed water on his face, obliterating as much of the evidence as he could. Taking a deep breath he headed out of the room, hoping that Kuroh wouldn't notice or comment on the signs of his weeping.

K-K

Kuroh smiled as Shiro wandered through into the living room somewhat dwarfed by the clothes he'd borrowed, however, the smile faded into concern as he noted that Shiro had been crying. However, the closed off expression on his King's face told him that the other was not in the mood for talking or comfort. Ignoring the slight pang of pain the closed of expression caused he forced the smile back onto his lips as Shiro looked up at him; relieved that the clan bond was still fully open between the two of them.

"Come and eat and then you can sleep again," Kuroh said cheerfully as he beckoned the teen towards the table, ignoring the flicker of relief that went through the weary amber eyes at his lack of questions.

"Where's Neko?" Shiro asked quietly as he settled at the table, surprised that the ever-hungry Strain wasn't present.

"She went out earlier and I think the rain has made her hide somewhere, you know how she hates getting wet," Kuroh said with a shrug. "I've left food aside for her in case she comes back during the night." Nodding Shiro began to eat his own food and Kuroh mimicked his actions, although silvery eyes rarely left his King. He noticed that the other teen was fading rapidly now after the bath, amber eyes drifting shut only to dart open a few seconds later.

"Go and get some sleep," Kuroh ordered softly once he was sure Shiro had finished with his food, and the Silver King nodded blearily before getting to his feet and heading towards the bedroom, his head bowed. The older teen frowned as Shiro disappeared into the other room, wondering what was bothering the other teen as this seemed to be something beyond the pain caused by his time trapped in the sanctum or their earlier argument. It bothered him more than he liked that his King wasn't sharing whatever was troubling him.

K-K

Quietly he began to clean up the table and kitchen, his thoughts never leaving his King and as soon as everything was clean he headed for the bedroom. Part of him hoped that Shiro was asleep, because it was clear that he was still healing from the battle, whilst another part of him hoped that he was awake so he could try and get to the bottom of whatever was bothering him. Silver-eyes softened as he found Shiro tucked up in bed, soft breaths indicating that he was already deeply asleep. With a sigh the Black Dog gently rearranged the covers over his King before settling into the seat next to the bed. Wearily he rubbed a hand across his face as he watched Shiro sleep, he knew that he should rest too but part of him was afraid to take his gaze off the other, still worried deep down that the teen would vanish once more.

K-K

Kuroh started awake suddenly, silver eyes darting around as he tried to determine what had woken him. A quick glance at the bed showed that Shiro was moving around restlessly, his pale face twisted with distress, and his cheeks flushed red. Cursing himself for falling asleep, the Black dog quickly leant forward and brushed his fingers against Shiro's forehead frowning at the heat burning under his touch. The sleeping teen leant unconsciously into the touch and for a second the distress on his face lessened, and the clan bond hummed slightly. Reluctantly Kuroh pulled away, tensing as the loss of contact caused his King to whimper softly in his sleep before quickly, he heading to the bathroom to get a damp cloth.

Returning he found his King shifting restlessly, and he gently settled onto the bed beside him, placing the damp cloth onto Shiro's forehead. The coolness seemed to soothe the teen as he stilled slightly, although he still looked distressed. Scowling, Kuroh reached out and gently ran his fingers through the silvery hair, watching as his King settled further as he leant into the touch.

"I'm here Shiro," he whispered wanting to comfort the other but not wake him, and he focused on sending comfort through their bond.

K-K-K-K


	4. K4

Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites and for bearing with the delayed update.

K and its characters don't belong to me, I am just borrowing them.

K-K-K-K

Shiro's fever had remained steady throughout the night despite Kuroh's attention, and the older teen had been reduced to a spectator as his King shifted restlessly in the bed, a jumbled mixture of German and Japanese escaping him. He wished that he could understand German, the sorrow in the frenzied mutters making him wonder just what his King had gone through in the past.

"Shiro," he called gently as the silverette whimpered softly, and this time he was rewarded by dazed amber eyes flickering open to half-mast. Despite his worry he forced a small smile onto his face as the Silver King turned his cloudy gaze towards him, noting the confusion written across the pale face.

"Kuroh…what?" Shiro whispered as he blinked slowly trying to keep his hands open, noting dizzily how Kuroh's face swam in and out of focus above him and trying to ignore the answering rolling in his stomach.

"You've got a fever from being out in that rain," Kuroh replied softly, a pang of guilt rising in him as he remembered why the teen had even been out in the rain in the first place. Shiro blinked sleepily at him and he felt a weak brush against the clan link, and with a start he realised that the other teen was trying to offer him comfort. "How are you feeling?" He asked, swallowing against the sudden lump in his throat as he refocused on his charge.

"Been better," Shiro muttered as his eyes slid shut for a moment as he tried to get the world to stop moving so much, clinging onto the humming bond between them to anchor himself. Once everything had settled slightly he forced his eyes open again, struggling to force them fully open as he refocused on his clansman. He frowned slightly as he saw the concern in the watchful silver eyes and the faint shadows that indicated a lack of sleep. "You need to sleep," he ordered, his wavering voice not helping him.

"I can rest later," Kuroh said, forcing back a slight smile at the sleepy order; however, the amber eyes focused slightly at that and Shiro pouted.

"Sleep," Shiro repeated as he slowly moved across on the bed, gently patting the space between him as his gaze focused on his clansman without blinking. "Please," he added slightly more forcefully and Kuroh sighed, staring searchingly at his King and noting that the awareness in the amber eyes had increased.

"Fine," he acquiesced and was rewarded by a contented smile replacing the pout. Feeling more than a little awkward he climbed into the bed, carefully slipping under the covers and making sure that Shiro was completely covered. "Go back to sleep," he ordered softly as he rolled over to face his King, and Shiro smiled slightly before nodding in agreement as his eyes slid shut again and his breathing swiftly evened out.

Kuroh tried to stay awake despite his agreement to rest, his silver eyes fixed on his King's sleeping face as he watched the soft breathing pattern. So focused was he, that he nearly leapt out of his skin when the silverette rolled across towards him, arms instinctively reaching out for his warmth. Unsure of what to do he froze, holding his breath as arms wrapped around him and Shiro snuggled against his chest and a contented noise escaped. Realising that he wasn't going to be released anytime soon he sighed and carefully wrapped his own arms around the other teen, silently admitting to himself how nice it felt to have his King in his arms. Slowly, soothed by Shiro's soft breathing and his comforting warmth against his chest he dozed off to sleep.

K-K

"Shiro? Kuroh?" Neko called quietly as she slipped into the apartment, peering around with anxious eyes as closed the door behind her. Her nose twitched at the smell of food and she eagerly padded across to the kitchen, momentarily distracted by the promise of food. Finding the covered plate of food in the kitchen she gave a low mew of happiness as she eagerly tucked in; once finished she quickly washed the plate, having learnt more than once how much Kuroh hated dirty dishes.

Full and content she quietly made her way towards the bedroom, hoping that both teens had made up after their earlier disagreement. Shifting the door open carefully she peered in, a startled meow escaping her as her mis-matched eyes fell on the sleeping pair, before a smile spread across her face. Silently she padded across to the bed and hovered above them for a long moment, before reaching out to gently run a hand through Shiro's silver hair noting the peaceful expression on his face. Satisfied she quietly retreated from the room, shifting into cat form as soon as the bedroom door closed behind her and leaping onto the couch to curl up.

K-K-K-K

Kuroh woke with a faint start the next morning, blinking sleepily as he stared up at the ceiling as he tried to remember when he'd fallen asleep. A sleepy murmur and sudden movement in his arms made him turn his head, a small smile appearing as he gazed down at his King – the smaller teen curled up against his chest with a contented expression on his face. Carefully the older teen reached down to brush a hand against Shiro's forehead, noting with relief that there was only a faint trace of the previous night's fever lingering.

"What are you doing?" Kuroh snatched his hand back as though scalded at the sudden voice, blinking as he found amber eyes peering up at him. Shiro blushed suddenly as he realised their current position and Kuroh loosened his arms slightly, offering his King the chance to escape if he wanted, but after a brief hesitation Shiro shrugged slightly and burrowed closer into his chest.

A wave of relief went through Kuroh at the reaction, and he had to fight his own blush as Shiro held him close. Quietly the lay together, and unconsciously Kuroh began to run his fingers through the silver tresses, smiling as his King hummed in contentment. Despite his reluctance to do anything that would jeopardize the peaceful moment and the new closeness between them, Kuroh knew that this was possibly the best opportunity to get answers about the previous night.

"Are you going to tell me what upset you last night?" Kuroh asked softly, hoping that it wasn't too soon to broach the issue but also reluctant to let any more issues fester between them; as soon as the words escaped him he felt the smaller teen tense in his arms. Shiro burrowed further into the comforting arms holding him, one ear pressing against Kuroh's chest and drawing strength from the steady heartbeat he could hear.

"I…" He hesitated remembering his outburst from last night, and wondering whether the other teen would think him foolish.

"Tell me," Kuroh urged gently, his arms tightening slightly as he tried to offer his King extra strength and Shiro sighed softly before pulling back slightly to peer up at him with pained eyes.

"I hadn't seen it before," he whispered and Kuroh frowned in confusion for a minute, before Shiro shakily moved his hand to rest above the scar on his chest and understanding dawned on him. He remembered the mixture of emotions that had hit him when he'd first seen the evidence of what his King had suffered, and he closed his eyes for a second as he realised that Shiro must've been hit by much worse memories and emotions. "I…it hurt," Shiro added and Kuroh opened his eyes, hearing the echoed pain in his King's voice and frowning as he spotted moisture glistening in the corners of Shiro's eyes.

"It's over now," Kuroh said softly making sure not to look away from Shiro's gaze. "You survived and you came back, this," he hesitated before carefully moving his hand down to grasp the one hovering above the scar before gently pressing both their hands against it. "This is like a memory, it's part of you now but it doesn't define who you are. It might never go away, but it will fade… and Shiro?" Worried amber eyes glanced back up from where he'd been staring at their joined hands and he blinked to show he was listening. "It has no bearing on how Neko and I see you."

"Thank you," Shiro whispered, unable to prevent the tears that trickled down his face as he lent into the warm arms holding him as he allowed Kuroh's words to wrap around him, driving away the memories of pain. Kuroh merely tightened his hold in response, and both smiled as silver light glowed around them for a moment as the bond was reinforced once more.

However, the moment was ruined by a loud smash followed by a high-pitched yowl from the living room and the both stared at each other for a moment before…

"NEKO!"

K-K

The two teens just gaped, wide-eyed as they took in the destruction that had descended on the kitchen before turning to look at the sheepish strain sat in the middle of the floor coated in food. Blinking and rubbing at the mess covering her face she peered up at them, and then around at the mess she had made and hung her head.

"I wanted to make Shiro breakfast," Neko mewed softly.

"Neko," Kuroh growled as he finally found his voice, glowering at the cat girl as he stepped forward slightly with a dark expression on his face. However, a sudden tinkling laugh made him halt before turning to look wide-eyed at Shiro, the smaller teen was nearly doubled over giggling as he took in the mess and the look of horror on Kuroh's face. The older teen sighed as he watched his King laughing, his anger trickling away at the honest amusement on the others face and he turned back to the strain who was watching with worried eyes.

"I'm sorry Kuroh," Neko said in a small voice seeing his glance, and sneezing softly as she moved and sent a cloud of flour into the air an action that sent Shiro into another fit of laughter.

"It's fine," Kuroh said with a faint sigh before his expression turned stern once more. "But you're going to help clean up this…mess." He added and she mewed softly but nodded in agreement, and they both shared a small smile as they glanced at Shiro who was leaning against the side as he got his laughter under control.

K-K

Nearly an hour later after the kitchen had been thoroughly cleaned and a very disgruntled Neko had been banished for a shower, they sat down for a simple breakfast cobbled together from the few ingredients that had survived Neko's cooking attempt.

"I wish I could cook something other than rice," Shiro commented mournfully as he sat back with a contented sigh.

"I can teach you," Kuroh offered and was rewarded by a warm smile and an eager nod from his King. "No," he added seeing Neko open her mouth and foreseeing her request, the strain pouted at him, but he remained firm knowing all too well how easily distracted she could be. If he wanted his kitchen to survive, it had had to be protected from the strain…at all costs. Shiro smiled at the pair, guessing at the reasons behind Kuroh's refusal and also knowing that Neko would quickly be distracted by something else and forget all about it.

The sudden ringing of Kuroh's phone disrupted any further conversation, and Shiro's expression darkened at the noise as his eyes narrowed. Noticing this Kuroh hesitated in the process of reaching for it, silver eyes worried as he glanced at his King – silently asking what Shiro wanted to do.

"Answer it," the reluctance was clear in his voice, but his face was composed although there was more than a bit of resignation in the amber eyes as Kuroh obeyed.

"Hello?" Kuroh greeted quietly never taking his gaze of his King, a frown darkened his face as he listened to the speaker before reluctantly holding the phone out towards Shiro.

"It seems like it wasn't the end…Lieutenant."


End file.
